Well I guess I'm not unique but this season, following a combination of flu and the bad weather, I am way way behind. Further behind than I can ever remember. Just a few broad beans on the plot, not showing. Nothing in the propagator yet. The only consolation being that with such a cold start to the growing season there is plenty of time to catch up.

At the end of last week (before the weekend snow) I made a quick inspection trip to the allotment and saw something that lifted my spirits - the early signs of a few ranunculus peeping through the mulch. I hope the cold snap over the weekend did not do too much damage. I am not entirely sure how hardy they are.

Anyway the plan is to make a bit of progress tomorrow and Wednesday. Buds will be bursting before we know it!

Bought a bare rooted apple tree but this weekend, when I was going to plant it, there's a frost/light snow/very cold weather forecasted. It is in a cool place at the moment (porch) but I just noticed it's showing leaf buds.

Is it best to plant or leave it. Am a bit worried that it's going to continue to sprout more leaves if I leave it as it is.

In ancient Israel , it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.

Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg, indeed, she was often referred to as; Amazon Dot Com.

She said unto Abraham, her husband, why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?

Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, How, dear?

Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns, these drums will send messages stating what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price.

The sales can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long, and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums.

The drums rang out and were an immediate success.

It came to pass that Abraham sold all his goods he had at a good price without even having to move from his tent.

To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew.

It was to be known as; Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS).

She then developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures and named it; Hebrew To The People (HTTP).

The young men called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung.

Lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land.

Indeed he did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

On seeing this; Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started? it is being taken over by others."

Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel , or eBay as it came to be known.